As previously reported, a former contestant on an Israeli television vocal competition was arrested yesterday in Tel Aviv under suspicion of hacking into Madonna's computer. Now the Rebel Heart singer has responded to his arrest.
"I am profoundly grateful to the FBI, the Israeli Police investigators and anyone else who helped lead to the arrest of this hacker. I deeply appreciate my fans who have provided us with pertinent information and continue to do so regarding leaks of my music. Like any citizen, I have the right to privacy," the legendary pop singer wrote on Facebook. "This invasion into my life-creatively, professionally, and personally remains a deeply devastating and hurtful experience, as it must be for all artists who are victims of this type of crime."
Today she added, "The end of Privacy is not something any of us are ready for!"
The 39-year-old's arrest came after the FBI responded to Madonna's album leak in December and found that the hack had come from Israel, whose Lahav 433 took over the case and booked the Tel Aviv resident.
According to a statement by Lahav 433, the suspect "broke into the personal computers of several international artists over the past few months and stole promotional final-cut singles which have yet to be released and traded them online for a fee...In light of the findings of the investigation the unit collaborated closely with the FBI, with suspicion of even more break-ins to computers owned by unknown international artists, stealing and selling their works."
Following the Dec. 20 leak, Madonna's camp was forced to accelerate the release of her music. They rushed six of the album's tracks to iTunes ahead of schedule and moved up Rebel Heart album release date to March 9.
Madonna expressed her outrage at the time on social media, calling it "artistic rape," "a form of terrorism," and clarifying that half of the leaked tracks were early demos that wouldn't make it on the album and the other half had "changed and evolved" since they were initially recorded.
We'll keep you updated as more information on the arrest becomes available. For now, check out Madge's new single "Living For Love" below!
